Evidence Champions: final call for bookings

The second cohort of Evidence Champions is starting on Tuesday 18 October 2022, there are still places available for Kent schools and academies to book onto through the Research Schools Network website

The EEFective Kent Project is fully funding the Evidence Champion programme for eligible* Kent schools and academies. The project will also provide an initial ‘set-up’ grant to participating schools to embed and sustain the role in their context (e.g. for staff release time or bespoke support from an Evidence Leader in Education). Please note the set-up grant is per school and not per Evidence Champion across all rounds, therefore a school can only receive one set-up grant. Small schools may want to collaborate across networks and federations to enable them to engage with the offer.

The programme will be delivered by Kent’s Associate Research School (KARS) and will be delivered as three online twilight sessions, the dates for these session are:

• Tuesday 18 October 2022 (3:30pm to 5:30pm): What is an Evidence Champion? Why do schools need an Evidence Champion?
• Tuesday 6 December 2022 (3:30pm to 5:30pm): What sources of evidence are available and how can we evaluate their usefulness?
• Tuesday 31 January 2023 (3:30pm to 5:30pm): How can schools effectively mobilise the research evidence and evaluate its impact?

The training will be followed by a face-to-face networking workshop at KARS in Ashford.

The Evidence Champion is an in-school role that supports, encourages and engages colleagues with how to source, access and understand high-quality research evidence, as well as how to apply this to teaching and learning, CPD or school improvement planning. Their work will support school leadership to ensure that planned school improvement activity is shaped by research evidence. Find out more about the role of the Evidence Champion and the benefits of introducing this role into your school on the EEFective Kent Project webpage and the recorded Evidence Champion information session held by Durrington Research School last year.

This is the final call for your school to join the second cohort, to secure your place please complete the booking form

In addition to the Evidence Champion offer, the EKP is also match-funding the cost of three new Evidence-Based Training programmes for eligible Kent schools and academies*. The topics are effective learning behaviours, effective professional development and from mitigation to success: improving outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable learners. The courses are being delivered by KARS throughout this academic year.

*Funding is only available to publicly funded Kent County Council schools or academies.